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Marin to break European record
Date: 4/25/2021 10:30 AM
Published by : Alan Raftery
Tuesday marks the beginning of the much-awaited 2021 European Championships. This week will potentially produce the moment we see Marin achieve what no other player has achieved before. 

Many great names have come and gone, winning multiple European titles that cement their legendary status in the badminton history books. 

England’s Gillian Gilks tops the all-time medal table with 12 golds, half of which coming in the mixed doubles. Read more here

Kamilla Rytter Juhl is second on the list with seven titles. Together with Christinna Pedersen, the dominant Danish duo picked up four women’s doubles titles in a row. Read more here

Peter Gade, five-time European men’s singles champion and part of the Legend’s Vision is the most successful singles player. 

This year, a Spaniard has an opportunity to write herself into the history books by doing what no European Championships legend has done before and win five consecutive titles. 

Rewind
The reigning Olympic Champion and three-time World Champion won her first European Championships in 2014, three years after her European Junior gold. It turned out to be a year that sparked it all off. 

In Kazan, Russia, Marin faced the current women’s doubles European Champion, Stefani Stoeva, in the women’s singles quarterfinal. Winning 21-10, 21-15, Marin then surpassed Germany’s Karin Schnasse to face the Dane, Anna Thea Madsen, in the final. The final went to three, however, Marin surged to the gold with a 21-8 deciding game. 

Marin then went on to win two back-to-back World Championships in 2014 and 2015. 

La Roche-sur-Yon in France, location for the 2016 European Championships, saw Marin put on a strong run to the gold once more. However, Marin had a brief scare in her opening match against Lithuania’s Akvile Stapusaityte, getting through 21-14, 20-22, 21-9. In the final, she defeated Scotland’s Kirsty Gilmour 21-12, 21-18. 

Later that year, Marin became Olympic Champion at Rio 2016, defeating Pusarla V. Sindhu in the final, 19–21, 21–12, 21–15. 

In 2017, Marin landed on Danish soil and defeated two Danes, Natalia Koch Rohde and Mette Poulsen to reach the final and once again met Kirsty Gilmour. Marin scored the hattrick with a 21-14, 21-12 victory. 

In 2018, Marin had the unforgettable moment of playing in her home city, Huelva. She was able to use the energy from the crowd and delivered her fourth title in front of her adoring fans. She overcame a tough challenge from Mia Blichfeldt in the semifinal, winning 21-17, 21-16. In the final, she showcased her top level, defeating Russia’s Evgeniya Kosetskaya 21-15, 21-7. 

Marin later in the year picked up her third World Championships gold in Nanjing, China, which was a repeat of the Olympic final against Sindhu. This time Marin was able to win in two games 21-19, 21-10. 

The record
Danes Kamilla Rytter Juhl/ Christinna Pedersen famously won four European titles in a row, a feat that seemed unsurmountable. However, Marin, 27, has the chance in Kyiv to break the all-time record. With many years still to come from Marin, who knows how many titles she could pick up? 

The 2021 European Championships will take place in Kyiv, Ukraine from 27 April to 2 May.

All matches can be watched at www.badmintoneurope.tv

©badmintoneurope.com. All rights reserved.

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